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If we had a nickel for every time we heard this question, or a dime for every time a superautomatic was decommissioned due to this, we’d be rich (okay, maybe not rich, but we’d easily have a couple of dollars). However, we’d much rather save some machines then have the extra change jingling around!

The short answer is, unfortunately, that you cannot use oily beans in a superautomatic. Very dark and oily roasts clog up grinders and brew units over time, eventually leading to one very unhappy coffee robot. In superautomatic espresso machines, this is quite problematic, as you cannot take apart the grinders to give them a good, old fashioned cleaning. Eeeks!

If you’re looking for more info, and we know you are, Gail and Miranda have the lowdown for you. Take it away, ladies!

While trying to grind and brew our mandatory caffeine fix on many an early morning, we want nothing more than the simplest way to quash our cravings and stop those annoying deprivation twitches – you get them too, right? So imagine our pure joy when Gail introduced us to the Breville Dose Control Pro Burr Grinder!

Designed to make even the most novice of home baristas feel like a pro, this helpful grinder features a labeled grind adjustment collar with easy to read grind ranges, a simple timer that can be set for up to 50 seconds of automatic grinding and a grind button for continuous, manual grinding. Throw in removable conical burrs, not to mention Breville’s graciously added goodies, and we’re grinding like no other!

To learn more about those goodies and other great features the Dose Control Pro has to offer, check out Gail’s latest review!

Nine out of ten home baristas agree, soupy pucks are a coffeehouse sin. Well, maybe not a sin, but in our experience it’s pretty close! What causes a soupy puck and why exactly is it so bad? When it comes to the hard questions, we like to ask Gail!

Gail and our excellent customer service team are always reiterating how important it is to dial in your grind – and this Ask Gail session is no exception! Having your grind too fine can cause soupy pucks, as a super fine grind will hinder proper water flow. The water is then “trapped” on top of the puck and released into the dredge box with the under-saturated puck, causing a sour or bitter espresso shot and the undesirable soupy puck.

If you think there could be more to your soup-tastic pucks, check out our first edition of Ask Gail!

Want to win it all? Head on over to Facebook and tell us how winning this giveaway, and the sweet products contained within said giveaway, will make you a better person (Will it give you x-ray vision? Will it help you stay awake during class, allowing you to earn a passing grade?)!

We have a very exciting announcement this morning: The launch of SCG Rewards!

Sure, shopping for caffeine-inducing coffee products is fun in and of itself, but wouldn’t it be better if doing so earned you a discount on future orders? That’s where SCG Rewards come in. We think our customers (that’s you!) are pretty much the bees knees and we want to give you a big ol’ hug. Given our inability to do so, we’ve decided to thank you with every purchase!

How Do You Earn Rewards?

If you’re signed up for SCG Rewards (get the deets below), then you simply shop as you normally would!

Here are the basics: Earn 1 point for every dollar you spend, with 50 points equaling $1 to be used on a future purchase. Each product, and your cart, tell you what you’ll earn with the purchase.

Each product shows what you can earn on the purchase!

Your cart let’s you know how many points you’ll earn and how to redeem them!

For more details on how the program works, check out this page that’s completely dedicated to the nitty-gritty details!

How Do You Sign Up?

We don’t want anyone to miss out on an opportunity to earn reward points, so customers that created an account prior to today are automatically enrolled in SCG Rewards!

If you’re new to shopping at Seattle Coffee Gear, you can sign up while you’re creating an account. Just leave the “I’d like to start earning rewards – sign me up!” box checked and you’ll be up and running!

Just leave the box checked to become a part of SCG Rewards!

How Do You Redeem Rewards?

You’ll need a minimum of $5 to redeem on an order, at which point you’ll be able to apply them as a payment during checkout. If you’re logged in, your cart will let you know how many points you currently have and will remind you how to apply them if you’ve reached the minimum.

You can also check your balance, see a full history of earning/redeeming reward points and change your notification subscriptions at any time by logging into your account!

How Excited Are We?

We’re going to be really honest here: We squeal a little bit every time SCG Rewards get brought up around the office. We’ve wanted to implement something like this for awhile and we’ve put a lot of thought into the earning and redemption process. Our sincerest hope is that you like the program and that it provides value to you. After all, this is our ‘thank you hug’ substitute!

To get started today, just start shopping! If you have questions, don’t hesitate to contact us via phone or email – we’re here for you!

You may have noticed recently that our website has been sporting a new addition that doesn’t quite fit in with our normal caffeine-centric product lineup: The Philips Airfryer!

How did this little marvel of cooking technology make its way to SCG? The answer lies in our awesome refurbishing department! We’ve worked with Saeco for years as their main refurbishing partner, decreasing the amount of sweet caffeine-producing machines that make their way to landfills – we love the environment! – and passing on slashed prices to the masses.

As such, Philips, owner of Saeco, approached us recently to do the same thing for their new Airfryer. Once we tried it, we knew we couldn’t resist adding these fellas to our refurbishing line. I mean, the fries that come out of this thing are insane(ly good)!

So, how does it work? Simply place your food in the basket, set the temperature and timer, then wait. Depending on what you’re cooking up, you may need to shake the basket about halfway through to ensure evenness, but it’s pretty darn foolproof! Also, if you’re using frozen fries, oil actually drips off of them during the cooking process, so…you’re kind of making them healthier for you. (And yes, this is how we justify using it several times per week.)

You can even make grilled cheese, fish and cakes in record time. We’re talking 10-15 minutes for a cake! We haven’t made every dish on it yet, but the recipe book is pretty mouth watering, and we’ll be posting some coffee cake videos just as soon as we can find the flour and sugar.